Question | Answer |
What does it mean for a species to become extinct? | A species becomes extinct when the final member of the species dies and there are no surviving offspring |
What could cause extinction? | Environmental change
Loss of food source
Disease
Etc. |
What is a fossil? | A fossil is the preserved remains of a species that lived in the past |
Give three examples of things that could become fossilized. | A footprint
A piece of bone
A tooth |
How do fossils help scientists collect evidence that evolution has occurred? | Fossils allow paleontologists to understand when former species lived as well as make observations and inferences about the way they lived. |
What type of scientist studies these fossils? | Scientists that study fossils are known as paleontologists |
What types of life are the oldest on Earth? Single-celled or multi-celled? | Single-celled organisms are the oldest forms of life on the planet. |
What does “diversity of species mean? | Diversity of species means there are many different kinds of organisms |
What is natural selection? | The process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. |
How long does this process usually take? | The process usually takes thousands of generations to see an effect |
What is an observation? | OBSERVATION:
The act of viewing or noting something with one of the senses (see, hear, smell, taste or touch)
It is a fact
EX. The footprint has 3 toes |
What is an inference? | INFERENCE:
A proposed conclusion based on an observation
It does not always have to be correct
EX. After looking at fossilized footprints you decide the organism had started to run |
TRUE or FALSE: Humans have had no impact on the evolution of other species. | FALSE: Humans impact the evolution of other species in many ways
Hunting
Habitat Destruction
Pollution |
What is genetic variation? | Genetic variation is differences that are caused by an organism’s genes
Variation is usually caused by a MUTATION in the organism’s DNA |
What causes this variation and how does that lead to natural selection? | This variation allows certain individuals to be better suited for their environment and have a higher chance at reproducing and passing their genes to their offspring.
Ex. The beige worms were easier to see so they got eaten in Activity 91 |
What is a mutation? | A mutation is any change in an organism’s DNA
Typically these mutations occur during the fertilization
Ex. A hornless cow gives birth to a cow with horns |
How do mutations affect an individual? | Some mutations are beneficial and lead to organisms having a greater chance at reproduction
EX. 4 tined beak
Some are harmful and do not help an organism
Ex. genetic disorder
Some have no effect on the organisms
Ex. different color coat on a dog |
What is the difference between an acquired and inherited trait? | Acquired Traits:
Traits that an individual gains during the course of their life that are not genetic
Inherited Traits:
Traits that are determined by an individual’s genetic makeup and are determined during fertilization |
Which type of trait gets passed to offspring? | Genetic Traits are passed to offspring during sexual reproduction |
If two species have DNA that is very similar they are (MORE or LESS) closely related | If two species have very similar DNA they are MORE closely related than individuals with DNA that is not similar.
This means they shared a common ancestor relatively recently |
Describe bacterial resistance using natural selection. | When bacteria are resistant to a certain antibiotic, they reproduce with their offspring having the same resistance |